Ground reinforcement for wind turbines

Situation

The High Sheldon Wind Farm generates wind energy for the town of Sheldon in Wyoming County, New York. The project has a maximum electricity generation capacity of 129 megawatts and produces enough clean, renewable energy to supply 60,000 households annually.
The wind farm comprises 75 wind turbines, most of which are installed on agricultural land across two plateaus. At heights of up to 550 m, the two plateaus are exposed to constant winds from Lake Erie, approximately 50 km to the west. The energy generated by the project is fed into a 230 kilovolt (kV) power line that runs through the project area.

Solution

The biggest challenge for the contractor was the potential for rutting caused by the extremely high traffic loads on the access roads to the turbines. Basetrac Grid PP was incorporated into the base course to improve the load-bearing capacity of the access road, enabling it to withstand extremely high traffic loads (up to 240 kPa). Thanks to its exceptional reinforcement properties, Basetrac Grid was the ideal reinforcement solution for this project. The contractor was satisfied with the ease of installation and the speed of laying, thanks to the large roll widths of Basetrac Grid. The 5.20 m width of the Basetrac rolls added value, as fewer overlaps were required compared to narrower products, which also minimised waste. With no sharp edges or so-called ‘memory effect’, the installation of Basetrac was smooth and straightforward.

Advantages 

The total thickness of the base course for the access roads was reduced through the use of Basetrac Grid, resulting in significant savings for the project developer, Invenergy. The high structural flexibility results in reduced rutting, as the geogrid interacts optimally with the soil particles.